TAMWORTH will have its biggest citizenship ceremony of the year, and possibly ever, this week.
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In a huge ceremony at town hall on Thursday, 61 people are expected to be officially sworn-in as Australian citizens.
It is a sure sign Tamworth's migrant community is continuing to grow.
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Thursday's ceremony will take Tamworth's citizenship tally in 2019 to 175, which is more than 65 per cent greater than last year's total.
There will be people from 14 different countries getting Australian citizenship at the town hall do.
It is expected to be one of Tamworth's biggest ever single naturalisation ceremonies.
It will be almost three-times bigger than the city's ceremonies held on January 26 in recent years.
There was just 24 people granted citizenship in Tamworth on Australia Day this year.
Multicultural Tamworth stalwart Eddie Whitham said this will be one of the biggest events of the kind he has seen.
He said there were a number of reasons behind the rapid growth in the city's migrant community.
"There is a variety of work, the health sector is huge," he said.
"The three meat processors are still standing there, so the stability is good."
There are also key lifestyle factors which has put Tamworth "ahead of most towns" as well.
"I have never heard a bad word about the schools," he said.
"The medical services are good, it is not actually that difficult to get in to see a doctor.
"A lot of people come from the cities and they just don't want to go back to the rat race."
He said the world was also "more connected" with people able to stay in better touch with family abroad and find and translate relevant information with ease.
With a growing migrant population, Mr Whitham said it showed Tamworth had been a welcoming place in recent years.
"I think the community is happy," he said.
"If you make people lonely, they are not going to stay, so the community is showing a good face."
New citizens will be sworn-in from
- Bangladesh, China, Ghana, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
